The Escondido Cougars will venture away from home to challenge the Patrick Henry Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Escondido is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 47 points two weeks ago, they were much more limited against Oceanside on Friday. They were outmatched by the Pirates at home and fell 49-12. While losing is never fun, the Cougars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 413th, while the Pirates are ranked 149th).
Despite the defeat, Escondido saw an underclassman step up: Caden Thompson threw for 202 yards and a touchdown while completing 80% of his passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. A healthy portion of that aerial production (93 yards to be exact) went to Josh Gonzales.
Meanwhile, Patrick Henry entered their tilt with West Hills on Friday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Wolf Pack 49-14 at home. The Patriots might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three matchups by 29 points or more this season.
Patrick Henry's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Cody Cappelletti, who rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 carries. Cappelletti's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his sixth straight game with at least 124 rushing yards dating back to last season. Eli Ruiz was another key signal caller, throwing for 272 yards and three touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes.
Escondido's loss was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 2-2. As for Patrick Henry, their record is now 4-1.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Escondido has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 162.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Patrick Henry struggles in that department as they've been averaging 229.5. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Escondido came up short against Patrick Henry when the teams last played back in September of 2023, falling 45-34. Can Escondido avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
